William Inge's PICNIC to be Presented at Wagner College Theatre
The cast includes: Kenzie McGowan, Salvatore Romania, Anna McCarty, William Mack, and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Oct. 31, 2025
This fall, Wagner College Theatre is inviting audiences to experience the emotional heat and quiet longing of William Inge's PICNIC, a timeless American classic that unfolds on a sweltering Labor Day in a small Kansas town. Beneath the surface of pies, paper lanterns, and neighborhood gossip, PICNIC reveals a world brimming with desire, restlessness, and the ache for something more.
Director Brian Sgambati, a Wagner alumnus, returns to the stage with a deep personal connection to the piece. "Picnic is a very special show to me," says Sgambati. "For one thing, it was one of the shows that I did when I was a student here at Wagner...It was one of the highlights of my time at Wagner and has lingered with me all these years."
Set against the backdrop of mid-century small-town America, PICNIC introduces a group of women preparing for their annual Labor Day picnic. Their world is quietly upended by the arrival of Hal Carter, a handsome, troubled drifter. Since winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1953, PICNIC has seen celebrated Broadway productions, a beloved film adaptation, and countless revivals, including a notable 2018 production starring Sebastian Stan and Maggie Grace. Wagner's production honors that legacy while breathing fresh life into a story about risk, love, and the fleeting moments that change everything.
"William Inge...really captures these people," says Sgambati. "And it represents something that is really a vanished America. But it's not syrupy sweet or saccharine. It's realistic and fundamentally true- but it still carries with it that nostalgic glow."
PERFORMANCES
November 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 at 8:00PM and on November 15, 22, 23 at 2:00PM. All performances will be in Wagner College Theatre's Main Hall Theatre.
One Campus Rd
Staten Island, NY 10301
Theatre patrons are welcome to park in the Tiers Lot Visitor Parking and the Stadium Parking Lot. To find the Wagner College Main Entrance with a GPS, use 631 Howard Ave, Staten Island, NY.
THE COMPANY
Directed by Brian Sgambati, Choreographer Maggie Cantwell '26, Fight Choreographer Vincent Lane, Intimacy Choreographer Becca Canziani, Scenic Designer Selina Amargo '26, Lighting Designer Alex Rice '26, Scenic and Lighting Design Supervisor, Hair and Makeup Designer Alfred "Fre" Howard, Costume Designer Ryan Ginter, Sound Designer Grace Oberhofer, Stage Manager Sierra Friday, Prop Master Aiyana Torres, Technical Director Brian T. Sharron, Production Manager Vicki Neal. The cast includes: Kenzie McGowan, Salvatore Romania, Anna McCarty, William Mack, Jaria Rantanen, Tori Tarleton, Carina Perez, David Azcona, Maddy Vaillancourt, Emily Alcaide, Abraham Lopes, Hailey Shafer, Cole Pickert, Gaby Couto-Baez, Adarsh Chauhan, Donata O'Neill, and Julianne Donohue.
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